Custom & Bespoke web design in Dorset

Several of the FAQs shown here help to build a picture of why we are different, so this is a summary:

• We are open and honest always even if that hurts a bit at times.
• We operate under fixed time and budget, and flexible scope. This can sometimes take a while to understand but actually it makes the most sense. Our partners often don’t want to spend more time or money than agreed, so usually some features originally discussed as being important turn out to have lesser importance to meet the agreed time and budget.
• What you buy is what you own – no strings attached.
• We operate a flexible staffing programming meaning you get the required skills at the right time, in the right amount.

All of our website builds are based on fixed price, fixed time and flexible scope. So, what your website costs will depend to a greater extent on what you want like the number of pages required, functions on the website and so on. This is why we encourage you to tell us honestly what your budget is and we will work to that budget. The only trade-off is that for us to build to a potential tight budget, we may need to leave out some of the scope (features, pages etc). We can always pick these things up later down the line though.

Like with our ‘costs’ philosophy (see above), all of our website builds are based on fixed price, fixed time and flexible scope. So the time aspect is really up to you to a greater extent. Tell us honestly the time frame you have in mind and we shall work to that. The only trade-off is that to meet a potential tight deadline, we may need to leave out some of the scope (features, pages etc). We can always pick these things up later down the line though.

A website can reach millions of people that might not otherwise be available to you. Think of it as your shop front but on a global level, open 24 hours a day. Secondly, customers can view products, services, or whatever you want to share from the comfort of their own home and in their own time. Your website empowers your current website visitors and maximises marketing potential for future ones. No matter what type of business you are in, there are ways to grow interest towards your business goals via your website.

When a visitor comes to your website, they will instantly perceive the quality of your services or products based on its look and feel. A visitor will be interested and explore your website if it is appealing, easy to navigate and offers useful information. You are marketing yourself and your business to the world over the internet so it is important to show your business at its full potential.

All of our websites are ‘responsive’ meaning that they are built with different devices, screen sizes and browsers in mind. Your new website will automatically respond to show the most optimal layout and content for each of your visitor’s devices.

We cannot guarantee any ranking position with any search engine. Many companies out there will say they can but this isn’t true due to complex algorithms search engines like Google use which change all the time. We do however use reputable and widely used tools and techniques to significantly increase the chances of a high ranking potential. 

Your new website will need at least one domain and potentially several addresses, the same for emails. It is optional to have an ‘SSL’ security certificate, but we highly recommend having one due to the innate safety to your visitors’ data over the web and the SEO benefits SSL certificates provide. Then of course you will need a place to put it all, and this is where hosting comes in.

Due to the many options involved, we will discuss with you what we feel is best suited to your needs and will be happy to purchase any of these for you on your behalf to integrate into your new website package.

A ‘Content Management System’, or ‘CMS’, allows a way for you to edit, remove and add new content – like writing up pages with images and video – very easily through an online system. This means that you are fully empowered and can make changes without pressure and in your own time. It also means that if needs be we can help with your content easily by jumping on the part of the system you may be having trouble with, or even just by guiding you through whilst you do it yourself. If you don’t need us for any changes, then you are able to do all this by yourself free of charge.

Of course we can. We can either take photographs ourselves using a professional photographer, or acquire images through reputable online sources with your input. We have copywriters available for writing up pages for you given some pointers from you first, and can help with video content too. Content is normally the hardest part of a website build believe it or not, so we are more than happy to help you on this aspect.

You will have a dedicated point of contact throughout your website build. You can contact them by phone, email or even through instant messaging service; Google Hangouts. Being ‘lean’ in nature, we will use freelancers for all specialist areas or when extra capacity is required. Using freelancers for development is sometimes thought of as being a negative however, as our websites are built on a standard framework, and with all of our code being ‘open source’, it’s really straight forward for different developers to work efficiently and effectively on any project. 

All new and rebuild websites come with a basic training session during the latter part of the project. The best way to learn is to have a go yourself just before your website goes live with real content. Our training sessions are therefore based around this. We can do this either 1-2-1 or in a small group, face to face or remotely via a telephone or video conference. It’s really up to you. After the website goes live, if you feel you need another session or two to really understand content editing better, this can be arranged for you.

Only our hosting and maintenance options from our LMD MAINTAIN service carry a 12 month contract, from the point of your new website going live. Other than that, there are no other tie-ins. Nice and simple, nothing complicated here.

For all new website builds and rebuilds over £1000, our standard is 25% upfront with 25% invoiceable on completion of each of the 3 main development ‘stages’. For all new website builds and rebuilds under £1000, our standard is 100% upfront. Payments are due within 30 days of invoice. Nice and simple, nothing complicated here.

Once your website build or rebuild is complete, then your site is….your site. You paid for it, you own it. Simple as that. We can even help you with the transition to your new provider if you wanted to. Hopefully though we can arrange something so you don’t feel you need to leave us.

If you haven’t already done so you can start by taking a look at the other FAQs here and by looking at the services we offer that you are most interested in. As we offer many services and because no two requests are ever the same, we can start off with some basics by calling us or by filling out our simple form on our contact page.